Secret Santa – bookish style

Cheap hand cream, a penis candle, a set of mugs with photos of teddy bears on them, a yoyo and candy underpants. Some people would call these items junk; I call them the last five years of Secret Santa presents.

Secret Santa is a breeding ground for crappy gifts – you never get anything you want, need or can even grudgingly use (actually, that’s a lie – the penis candle proved quite useful in a blackout once). But, it’s all going to change this year. I’ve signed up to Broke and Bookish Secret Santa program, so while I may still be lumbered with a useless, bordering on the inappropriate, piece of crap from my work Secret Santa, at least there will be a welcome surprise coming in the post. Because, let’s face it, it doesn’t matter how frivolous it is, if it’s bookish, then it’s already something I want.

You can read the full instructions for the program here, but basically you register your deets, including a book wishlist and details of any interests, and then sit back and wait for some lovely person to fulfil your wishes. How great is that? I haven’t been assigned someone to send a present to yet, but I’ve already spent countless hours trawling bookish treats on Etsy.

If you haven’t signed up yet, you should – but if you find yourself in possession of a penis candle I swear it wasn’t me!